Darren Hauck/Associated PressMarquette's Jimmy Butler will need to help get the Golden Eagles back on track quickly this week after two tough Big East losses.

Editor's Note: After an unavoidable hiatus over the last month, The Shootaround is making a comeback to begin 2010. We still consider ourselves a work in progress, but we're committed to bringing you your college hoops news in new, interesting and lively formats. So if there something you'd like to see or think we're overlooking feel free to email us, post a comment below or send a message via Twitter.

The Shootaround Weekly ScheduleMonday: A look at the Big EastTuesday: Prepping the week aheadWednesday: Recapping the national sceneFriday: Checking in on the locals

MOST CRUCIAL WEEKMarquette
Has any team in the conference endured a more brutal start to the season than the Golden Eagles? They had No. 6 West Virginia dead to rites — on the road, no less — only to see it slip away because of missed free-throws. Then in its conference home-opener, Marquette had No. 8 Villanova pinned down only to watch Scottie Reynolds swipe away another win. As we learned last year, close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades— not in the Big East. So with that in mind, Marquette needs to find a way to steal one of the next two against Georgetown and then a return game at Villanova this week. After that it's two winnable games against Providence and DePaul before another test at Syracuse. Buzz Williams' team needs to be 3-3 heading into the dome on the 23rd.

WHO'S HOTAshton Gibbs, G, Pittsburgh
The 24 points to upset the Orange in Syracuse was nice, but so was the former Seton Hall Prep star's 3-point shooting: Gibbs drilled six of nine 3-point attempts in the win.Chris Wright, G, Georgetown
Part of the reason that the Hoyas are were they are has been Wright. The junior point guard put up 21 against St. John's and 18 against DePaul, along with seven combined assists.Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin
They're not the prettiest offensive team to watch and they get a little out of rhythm when Lance Stephenson isn't on the floor, but the Bearcats get a lot of their depth. That will go a long way in the Big East.

WHO'S NOTSt. John's
We could stomach a 7-point loss to Georgetown on the road, but getting waxed by Providence by 15 — at home — is just flat-out bad. So was the turnover number: a very gross 23.Metro Area Big East teams
Sticking with that theme, the conference media hotbed has had a bucket of cold water thrown on its three teams. Seton Hall, St. John's and Rutgers are a combined 0-5 in conference, with four of those losses coming at home.Syracuse big men
Not a lot of production from Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson (13 points, 11 rebounds) for all of the foul trouble and time off the court they combined for on Saturday.

STATISTICAL ANOMALY OF THE WEEK87.4 ppg 44.2 rpg

The first number is Seton Hall's points per game average this season and the second is the Pirates' rebounds per game average. Seton Hall is No. 1 in the Big East in scoring offense and No. 2 in rebounds per game. However, they are the only team in the top five in the conference without a Big East win.

In scoring, the Pirates are followed by Syracuse (1-1), Villanova (2-0), Notre Dame (1-1) and Providence (1-1). In the rebounding category, Seton Hall trails Providence by .4 boards and is head of Cincinnati (2-0), Villanova and Connecticut (1-1).

FUNNY COACH PHOTO OF THE WEEK

College basketball coaches do all sorts of wacky things and make all sorts of wacky faces during the course of a game — especially in the Big East. That's why we devote this space every week to them. This week's winner: UConn's Jim Calhoun.

David Butler II/US PresswireConnecticut's Jim Calhoun.

Don't forget to keep up with the rest of The Star-Ledger's college basketball coverage of Seton Hall and Rutgers. And be sure to bookmark our new home for all things college basketball: nj.com/college-basketball.